The Search For Something More
Chapter 28 - You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love
Thank you all for the reviews last chapter. I know I put you guys through a lot lol. Thanks for sticking with me. Believe me when I say that there is MORE to this story. This opening sequence for this chapter was very hard to write. If I was a director, it'd be much easier to film it as oppose to write it lol. Likewise, I'm not a doctor or anything so just take whatever I write for face value lol. It's a story lol. As you can tell, a lot of storylines are coming at a cross roads these past few chapters. And just to refresh everyone's memory, Andre's birthday party was all the way back in chapter 1.
I was going to wait until tomorrow to update but all your kind words helped me put this chapter together faster, hopefully it can happen again hehe. Since we had no Naley last night thought this was my way of giving back too lol. I also got a chance to make a quick visit to Wilmington this weekend, only passed by for a half marathon they had where Sophia, Austin and Allison (Lauren participated). I got to meet all three real quick before they left so I was really happy about that and Jackson was there but I didn't see him. Either way that so made my weekend.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy and please review!
"Dispatch, I have a 23 year old female, 7 months pregnant, unconscious with internal bleeding." The EMT spoke into the microphone by his shoulder.
"How is she?" Nathan asked frantically.
"We won't know until we get to the hospital." The EMT turned to his partner. "On three…. One.. two.. three." The two lifted the gurney up and hauled a still unconscious Haley inside.
"Are you her husband?" The EMT halted Nathan from entering the ambulance. Only immediately family were allowed.
"She's carrying my son." Nathan said breathlessly.
. . . . .
"She's gone." The medic tried to get a pulse on Renee and then ran over to Rachel. "She has a pulse." The medic signaled for his partner to come over.
Lucas stood back and could only watch in horror. There were two ambulance trucks where he was at. He looked back to where Haley was and saw Haley being wheeled into another ambulance with Nathan following suit. He and his brother locked eyes for a moment before Nathan got into the ambulance and Lucas focused his attention back to Dan. He thought Haley was okay but he was clearly wrong.
"Dispatch, 41 male, appearing to have suffered severed cardiac failure." The EMT spoke into the microphone by his shoulder. He signaled over to his partner and they hauled Dan into the ambulance.
"He has HCM." Lucas spoke up.
"You know him?" The EMT asked.
Lucas took a big gulp. "He's my father."
. . . . . .
Nathan continued to clutch onto Haley's hand. The ambulance ride felt like a blur. He couldn't speak but just watched her, squeezed her hand and prayed everything would be okay. He couldn't hear the sirens or what anyone else was saying, his whole focus was on Haley and his son. He couldn't believe this was happening. One minute he was with her, the next she's bleeding out in front of him. His mind could barely comprehend everything that happened in the past couple of minutes. He remembered looking over to where Lucas was, he saw his father being hauled away as well. The first thing he thought about was his HCM, but he would worry about his father later. Right now, it was all about Haley and their unborn son.
The ambulance parked and Nathan followed the gurney as they hauled Haley towards the ER. At the same time from the other entrance Dan was being hauled into the cardiac center with Lucas on his heels. Both brothers stopped at the intersection, a worried look in each of their eyes. Without a word, their blue eyes locked and they gave each other one big hug before pulling away, Nathan running off to Haley and Lucas to follow Dan.
Reaching the Operating Room doors, a nurse stopped Nathan.
"I'm sorry sir, you can't go any further."
Nathan saw the doors closed and he looked through the window as a team of nurses and doctors escorted Haley away. Nathan just stood there frozen for second before he finally cracked. The magnitude of what happened hit him like a ton of bricks. He couldn't breath, he couldn't even stand as he slumped against the counter he was leaning on. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were still covered in blood, Haley's blood. And then he finally broke.
. . . . .
"You're father suffered a massive cardiac attack." The nurse talked to Lucas outside the operating room. "He needs a heart transplant but we're going to hook him up to a machine that'll pump his blood for him."
"Do.. do what you can." Lucas said softly.
"Okay, follow me, I'm going to need you to fill out some paper work."
Once Lucas was finished, he found Nathan slumped over against a wall. He was completely oblivious to everything around him. People looked at him but it was clear that he too distraught at the moment.
"You're his brother right?" One of the nurses came up to Lucas.
"Yeah?"
"You're brother has some cuts on his back but he refuses care."
"I'll talk to him." Lucas started to walk over to his brother.
"Nathan." Lucas kneeled down. Nathan just looked at him with a blank expression.
"Nate.. come with me." Lucas said softly. "Come on." He urged. "The nurse wants to just clean up your cuts."
Nathan nodded softly and held onto Lucas as he helped him up. Lucas had a firm grip on Nathan's shoulder and led them to a private room. Lucas guided Nathan over to the sink and he turned on the water while Nathan washing the blood.. Haley's blood from his hands. After he was done, Lucas guided him to the examining table and saw some blood bleed out through Nathan's shirt.
"Take off your shirt." Lucas said softly but Nathan just sat there. The nurse was also there and Lucas felt bad for making her wait for so long. "Come on Nate." Lucas started to undue his buttons.
"I know you always wanted me." Nathan half chuckled, a blank look in his eyes.
"You wish." Lucas joked back. "Come on Nate. The nurse needs to make sure you're okay."
"But I'm not okay." Nathan replied back. "If Haley and the baby aren't alright, I don't think I'll ever be okay."
"I know." Lucas nodded and helped remove Nathan's dress shirt. Nathan then removed his white undershirt, which soaked up most of the blood.
The nurse cleaned some of the wounds. It wasn't anything too bad and it was mostly on his side. He had a couple of cuts and it'll probably turn black and blue for the next few weeks but nothing life threatening. The nurse cleaned out the wounds and Nathan didn't even flinch when the nurse rubbed alcohol on his cuts. She placed her last bandage and let the two brothers have a moment.
"Stay for as long as you want." The nurse gave them a warm smile and left the room.
Lucas threw away Nathan's undershirt and the baby blue dress shirt Nathan had on earlier was stained but wearable. Nathan took it and buttoned himself back up. Once he was done, he got up and he just stood there, a blank expression on his face.
"That car just came at us." Nathan finally spoke and turned to his brother. "Who would do that?" Nathan's voice cracked. "They didn't do anything wrong. Haley and the baby.." Nathan's voice started to crack and a second later, Lucas had him back in his arms.
"It's going to be okay." Lucas padded Nathan's back and it was then that Nathan buried his head into Lucas' shoulders and started to cry.
Lucas didn't have the heart to tell Nathan who were the driver and passenger of the car. He was too distraught right now and Lucas would wait until things calmed down. Lucas was still trying to wrap his head around it too. He had no clue what was going on but last time he checked, Renee died in the crash leaving Rachel and Dan to fill in the pieces of what really happened.
Nathan continued to cry and Lucas never saw his brother so vulnerable. They didn't grow up together, only bonding over their last two years of high school and the past couple of months and even though he was only three months older, Lucas would always be his big brother. He'd be there for Nathan the way only a brother can. It was a messed up situation but Lucas was thankful for Nathan because if he stopped taking care of Nathan and thought about all that had happened, to let his mind go there and realize that his best friend and nephew were fighting for their lives, he'd fall apart too.
"It's going to be okay." Lucas repeated and held his brother close, hoping that his words would be true.
. . . . . .
Brooke peaked into the window and saw the two brothers embracing each other. She turned away, letting the two have their private moment together. She walked down to the waiting room, where Karen, Clay and some of their other friends have gathered. Both Karen and Clay were on the phones, no doubt contacting important contacts of Haley and Nathan.
Brooke took a seat next to Peyton and clutched her hand. Peyton squeezed it tight.
"How can this be happening?" Brooke asked her.
Peyton had no words but just shook her head.
"She has to be okay Peyton. Her and the baby, they have to be right?" Brooke asked with tears in her eyes.
Peyton could only pull Brooke close to her and hold her as she too started to cry.
Nathan calmed down a little and he and Lucas were currently sitting down next to each other in their own private waiting room. Nathan couldn't be with anyone else at the moment. Nathan rested his elbows on his thighs and held his hands tight, praying for Haley and the baby. Lucas still had his arm around his brother, the two staring out aimlessly at nothing.
"Thank you." Nathan muttered.
"You don't have to thank me." Lucas muttered back. He was happy to be here, honored in fact.
Nathan only nodded and silence once again engulfed them.
A minute later, Nathan was surprised to see Dr. Anderson come walking through the room.
"Dr. Anderson?" Nathan asked as he stood up.
"Luckily, I was in the hospital when they brought Haley in so I was there in the OR." Dr. Anderson replied.
"How is she? How's the baby?" Nathan quickly asked.
"They're both stable. We managed to stop the bleeding but Haley lost a lot of blood." Dr. Anderson replied. "Even though you broke Haley's fall Nathan, there was still trauma to the stomach, that coupled with the stress of everything that happened caused tearing in the tissue surrounding the fetus and hence the bleeding."
"But they're going to be fine right!" Nathan asked.
"Their stable." The Doctor said carefully. "Haley is still unconscious, which necessarily isn't a bad thing. It means that Haley is healing herself.
"But?" Lucas finally spoke up.
"If she doesn't wake up then it get's complicated. She can slip into a coma and we might have to extract the baby prematurely."
"And Haley?" Nathan asked.
"Let's worry about one thing at a time Nathan. Haley's vitals look good, so we're hopeful." The doctor cleared his throat. "She can wake up now or hours from now hours. It all depends on Haley but the sooner she wakes up the better it'll be for both of them. I'm sorry I can't give you anymore than that. We just have to wait." Dr. Anderson stated. "But be hopeful, your son and Haley, they're both fighters." Dr. Anderson padded Nathan's shoulder. "The nurses are wheeling her into ICU, once she's settled in, you can visit."
Lucas draped his arm around Nathan and felt his brother shake slightly. Nathan hunched over, a blank expression on his face.
"Thank you Dr." Lucas replied and the doctor gave Lucas a sympathetic smile before exiting the room.
They both sat back down in silence and it was a few minutes later than a nurse walked. The same nurse that helped Lucas fill out the paper work for Dan.
"I got this." Lucas got up and stood by the door to talk to the nurse. Nathan didn't need to be burdened anymore than he needs to be.
"What's the update?"
"We have good news, we have a heart that's compatible with your father."
"So he's going to be okay?" Lucas asked.
"He's not out of the woods yet. Once the heart gets transplanted, there's always a chance of rejection. They already started the transplant operation. I'll get back to you as soon as I get an update."
"Thank you." Lucas replied softly and took a seat back next to Nathan.
"How's Dan?" Nathan asked. In all the chaos it was easy to forget that his father was also fighting for his life.
"He had a heart attack but they found a heart for him. They're operating on him now."
"So he's going to be okay?" Nathan asked.
"If his body doesn't reject the heart."
Nathan nodded in silence.
"It was Rachel." Lucas said softly. "She was the passenger of the car. The women driving the car was Dan's secretary, Renee."
"What?" Nathan turned to face him. "What're you talking about?"
"When I reached Dan, he looked so mad. He yanked Rachel out of the car and was about to punch her if I hadn't stopped him. Then he had the heart attack. She's still alive but the driver, Dan's secretary. She's dead."
"The fuck?" Nathan asked confused. He didn't know what was going on. "Why the hell are you only telling me this now?"
"Because you were a mess. You're still a mess. I don't want you to do anything stupid."
"Where the fuck is she?" Nathan got up but Lucas halted him.
"Don't Nate. The police are outside her room waiting for her to wake up."
"She's responsible for this!" Nathan gritted out. "What the hell is Dan's secretary doing with her?" Nathan was even more confused.
Lucas took out his cell phone. Luckily his mom brought it with her to the café when he arrived.
"The question is, what were you doing?" Lucas asked as he showed a picture of Nathan from Andre's birthday. "I saw this when I was scrolling through Q's pictures. I texted the picture to myself."
"What the hell?" Nathan muttered as he saw the photo. It was now making sense why the woman in Dan's office looked so familiar. "When I saw Dan, I saw her. She looked familiar but I couldn't figure out from where."
"Do you remember what she said to you?"
"She just asked for a photo, I thought she was a fan." Nathan looked puzzled. "When I saw Dan tonight, he said he took care of them. God this is all my fault." Nathan felt his stomach drop.
"Nathan, don't!"
"But Luke."
"No Nate, don't do this to yourself. Look, let me deal with this. Haley needs you Nathan. You're son needs you." Lucas gripped Nathan by the shoulder.
Nathan took a deep breath to calm himself down. Right now those two were top priority everything else can wait. "Do what you can, get Clay to help if you need it. If Dan is somehow involved in all this, he's going to wish he died tonight." Nathan gritted out.
Lucas was about to speak when a nurse came inside.
"Mr. Scott." Both brothers turned around. "Mr. Nathan Scott." The nurse clarified. "Miss James is in ICU now. You can come visit."
"Go, Haley needs you." Lucas motioned for Nathan to follow the nurse. "I'll do what I can."
Lucas glanced inside Haley's room. She was wheeled in a few hours ago and she was still unconscious. Nathan was by her bed side, his head hung low clutching onto her hand. Lucas felt like they've been here forever but it was early morning now and it was still pitch dark outside. He decided to walk to clear his head and he found himself standing outside Rachel's room a few minutes later.
He saw one of the policemen leave to go to the restroom and so he made his play to go inside. Looking around to make sure no one saw him, Lucas entered the room.
He walked up to Rachel slowly. Her body was turned to the side. He moved around the bed and got a good look at her. She was sporting a nasty black eye as well as a bunch of cuts and bruises. She looked up at him and a flash of recognition showed through her eyes.
"I take it, that you know who I am." Lucas took a seat next to the bed.
"What were you doing trying to kill my brother and my best friend? Blackmail wasn't enough for you."
"Renee wasn't supposed to be involved." Rachel sniffled. "You're father paid her to keep an eye on you and your brother."
"What do you mean Dan hired Renee to watch me and Nathan?"
"I don't know. He just wanted to see what you guys were up to. He paid Renee well and I thought I could cash in on it when I found out Nathan knocked some girl up."
"She's not some girl. She's my best friend and you nearly killed her! And my nephew!"
"Who cares!" Rachel cried out. "Renee is dead! She's gone and it's all your brother and dad's fault! If Nathan would've just paid me then none of this would've happened."
"You're delusional." Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm going to make sure you pay for what you did."
"What I did! Renee is gone because of your family!"
"My brother and Haley were innocent in all this. If you need someone to blame, look at the mirror." Lucas said in disgust and got up and left.
"What were you doing in there?" The officer asked Lucas but once he saw Lucas' face, he instantly realized who he was. "You're.. you're the mayor's son right?"
Lucas nodded.
"How's your father?" The police office asked concerned. For all the crap pulled on his sons, he was actually a half decent mayor.
"In surgery… look I just wanted to see who she was."
"Look son, get out of here. You were never here."
"Never where?" Lucas questioned as he took a couple of steps back and the officer just smiled and continued to stand in front of the door.
. . . . . . .
"Do you want coffee?" Peyton asked softly from the doorway. "A snack?" Peyton asked again.
"I need Haley to wake up Peyton." Nathan looked up, his tear stricken face. "That's what I need."
"I'm so sorry Nathan." Peyton's heart broke even more. "If there's anything you need, we're just down the hall."
Nathan nodded. "Hey Peyton." Nathan called out before Peyton could leave.
"Do you know why Haley wearing this?" Nathan reached over to the nightstand and grabbed Haley's necklace.
Peyton took a hold of it and looked the diamond ring attached to it.
"Peyton please tell me." Nathan pleaded.
Peyton didn't have the heart not to tell him, especially since he looked so broken. "She was going to say yes Nate. She wanted to ask you to marry her." Peyton let a few tears slide down her face as she handed the necklace back to Nathan.
Nathan felt his heart hammer in his chest. And he took a minute to compose himself. He wanted he and Haley to spend the rest of their lives together. To know she wanted the same thing swelled his heart but if she doesn't wake up, Nathan quickly started to panic again. She would spend the rest of her life with him and not the other way around. Nathan didn't know if he could live with that. He tried to push away such thoughts. This wasn't the time for it. Married or not, he would stay by Haley through the anything. A ring on her finger didn't mean anything, it was what's inside their hearts and in their hearts, they were already man and wife.
"In all the madness, I forgot to ask, did you get a hold of Haley's mom?" Nathan tried to think of anything else.
"Yeah." Peyton nodded. "Karen contacted her family and Brooke and I sent word to our friends. Everyone is rooting for Haley to pull through."
Nathan smiled softly as Peyton left and then looked back down at Haley and held her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it.
"You see that babe, everyone is rooting for you." Nathan said softly. "So I need you to wake up. I mean, just move one of your fingers.. just move one of your beautiful fingers to let me know that you're still here. That you're still with us."
Nathan held onto her hand tight but he felt nothing.
. . . . .
Lucas rushed out of the hospital and let the cool night air hit his face. He felt sick, literally sick to his stomach after what he found out with Rachel. His dad had a lot to answer to. There were still so many questions but one thing that was for sure was that Dan was more involved in this than any of them realized. Lucas figured that Dan didn't know about the blackmail attempt but he still needed to know what was going on with Renee. Why was she watching him? Lucas felt violated and disgusted and now Haley is unconscious and could lose the baby. Lucas felt sick and he leaned his back against the wall to try to brace himself.
"Luke.. you okay?" Brooke came rushing out of the exit. She saw Lucas looking very upset and saw that he was making a bee line for the exit.
"I'm not okay, nothing is okay?" Lucas wiped his eyes and slump down to the floor.
"Aww Luke." Brooke sniffled and bent down next to him and gave him a hug.
"I'm here Luke if you need me." Brooke said sincerely.
Lucas tried his best to smile at her and he caressed her cheeks with his free hand. "Thank you.. pretty girl."
"God, you Scott boys always the same. Is it your default setting to be so charming?" Brooke blushed and turned away. She thought she was here for him.
"No, it's the truth." Lucas said softly. " Lucas continued to stroke her cheek. "Life is short Brooke. Look at what happened to Nathan and Haley. They wasted five years, when they could've been together." Lucas let his hands fall to his side. "I know we could never be anything Brooke, but I want you to know that.. that I love you."
"Luke.. I .." Brooke started to shake her head.
"Brooke, it's okay. You don't need to say anything. I'm not expecting anything. I know neither of us are looking for a relationship especially given our history but I want to let you know what an amazing person you are Brooke Davis. You never know, something could happen and I would never be able to let you know that."
"Don't talk like that Luke." Brooke slumped down next to him and she let Lucas wrap his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay." Brooke said softly. "It has to be."
Nathan felt the faint movements of Haley's fingers starting to move. Nathan's head short up and he wondered if he was dreaming.
"Hales?" Nathan called out.
He watched for a second as Haley's hands started to move and her eyes started to flutter open.
"Hey." She said hoarsely once she saw him.
"Hey yourself." Nathan sniffled and smiled back at her. "I've missed you.. God I've missed you!" Nathan cried out and hugged Haley. He buried his head at the crook of her neck and to come so close to loosing her made him cry out all over again. Once Nathan finally got a hold of himself, he immediately called the nurses and doctors over to check on Haley.
Shortly there after, Dr. Anderson was called in to check on the baby. Nathan sat down next to Haley, her hand in his. Dr. Anderson was setting up the sonogram and he turned to the young couple.
"Now you know there are no guarantees in medicine but as long as we can locate a heart beat, there's no reason to believe that your baby won't grow up to be perfectly healthy."
Nathan and Haley waited anxiously as the doctor started moving around the probe. Silence engulfed the room and then slowly but surely they heard a small steady thump that only got louder and louder.
The doctor looked back at them and smiled.
Haley and Nathan turned to each other and kissed each other on the lips. The doctor took a couple of readings of the baby and once he was satisfied, the doctor stood up.
"From what I see, the baby is doing fine. But I'm going to recommend you spend another night here in the hospital to monitor your vitals and take it easy. You and the baby have gone through a lot, we're going to take every precaution we can."
"Thank you doctor." Nathan got up and shook his hand and he let the young couple have a moment.
As soon as the doctor left, the emotional weight of everything hit Haley and her eyes started to swell and she buried her head against Nathan's chest.
"It's okay babe. Everything's going to be okay." Nathan rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. He shed plenty of tears tonight and he'd never been put more through the ringer than what he had gone throught tonight. But Haley and their son, his whole world was once again complete. He came so close to losing it all, he never wanted to go through that ever again.
It took Haley a minute to calm down but once she did she pulled back and Nathan wiped her tears with his thumb. Haley reached for neck but realized something was missing.
"Looking for this?" Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out her necklace.
Haley smiled when she saw the diamond ring dangling in front of her.
"Yes, I've been looking for that." Haley choked out. "Look Nathan, I didn't get a chance to tell you.. to ask you.. actually.."
Nathan pulled the necklace back and shook his head.
"No Hales, I'm not letting you steal my thunder." He smirked as he took the ring out from the necklace.
"Someone told me that you were going to ask me something tonight." Nathan held the ring out in front of her.
Haley smiled and was about to say something but Nathan placed his lips over hers to silence her. Then he got on one knee in front of the bed, "I get to ask the questions here and Haley James, will you.."
"YES!" Haley rushed out.
"I didn't get to finish the question." Nathan chuckled. "Marry me Hales?" A wide smile adorning his face.
"Yes yes yes.. a million times yes." Haley had tears down her face. This time Nathan didn't mind her crying because these were tears of joy that both of them had.
Nathan slipped the ring on her ring finger and kissed her again. "Perfect fit." He smiled as the two locked foreheads together.
"No, it's not." Haley pulled back and Nathan looked at her curiously.
"Nathan my biggest fear is losing you and the baby." Haley choked out. "And tonight it came so close."
"Hales, it's okay. You made it.. we made it."
"It's not enough." Haley shook her head and Nathan looked at her confused.
"Nathan, I'm ready to spend to start the rest of my life and I'm happy to spend it with you."
"Same here."
"I'm ready to start now." Haley asserted. "I don't want to wait. I want to marry you now."
"Now? Like right now."
"Yes Nathan." Haley nodded. "We wasted so much time, I don't. I don't want to waste anymore… Unless you don't want to?"
"No no of course, I do." Nathan ran his hand through her hair. "I just want to make sure that this is what you want."
"This is what I've wanted since I was 16 years old." Haley looked into his eyes, not a trace of doubt could be found. "So what do you say Nathan Scott, build a life with me?"
"I say that you completely stole my thunder." Nathan smiled, a huge smile on his face and kissed Haley deeply. "Okay, let's do it. Let's get married now."
"Careful, it's not a basketball, hold it more carefully." Brooke warned as she handed Lucas the bouquet of white lilies that Haley would hold.
"Brooke, where did you find those?" Haley asked.
"If it helps, he was in a coma and he wouldn't enjoy these flowers anyway."
"Brooke!" Haley admonished.
"Don't work yourself up Hales." Brooke fixed her hair real quick. "I'll give it back after the ceremony. Now I got to make sure everything is set. I'll see you out there tutor bride." Brooke gave Haley a quick hug and left the room.
"I don't know how Brooke was able to pull it off." Lucas chuckled as he took in Haley's appearance.
Everyone was so relieved when Haley woke up and so happy when they found out that her and the baby were okay. But everyone's mouth did drop when Nathan announced that they were going to get married… right now.
Brooke immediately sprung into action and started to get things ready. Brooke went to Nathan's house and grabbed a black suit for Nathan to wear. She also grabbed a spare suit of Nathan for Lucas to wear. For Haley, she found a white dress, simple v-cut that went down to the knees. It wasn't anything glamorous but it was simple and pretty and most of all it fit. Haley bought it not too long ago and was going to wear it to the shower if she hadn't gone shopping with Brooke earlier.
Karen was able to track that the Champlain to have him perform the ceremony and Haley picked a location for the quick and simple ceremony, the gardens at the hospital just off the cafeteria. When her mom was sick, she would spend some time there and she even had lunch there with Nathan and the girls before. It was beautiful, quiet haven in an otherwise busy hospital.
"That's Brooke for you." Haley smiled as she waited eagerly for the nurse to come in a wheel her away. "You must thing we've gone mad for doing this so soon after the accident."
"You call it madness, but I call it love." Lucas shrugged. "And you and Nathan are most definately in love." Lucas smiled and handed Haley her bouquet of flowers. "I'm going to see if Brooke needs any help."
"Luke." Haley called out. "I know the nurse is going to wheel me downstairs but I'd love it.. I mean if you would."
"Huh?"
"If i could walk, I would ask you to walk with me but.. would you wheel me down the isle?" Haley asked hesitantly.
"Haley I don't know what to say."
"Say yes."
Lucas laughed. "Of course. I'm honored to give you away Hales.. although you know that I could never truly give you away."
Haley chuckled and extended her arms, indicating she wanted a hug from her best friend.
Dr. Anderson was a little hesitant to let this wedding go through but Nathan and Haley looked so hopeful that he couldn't turn them down. Haley promised to go straight back to her room after the quick ceremony. As much as Nathan and Haley wanted this, they wanted to make sure their baby boy was okay first. It wasn't the ideal wedding they had in mind but both couldn't wait a second longer with out beign declared man and wife.
A knock on the door broke Haley and Lucas' embrace.
"Ready?" The nurse asked with a wheel chair in tow.
. . . . .
Nathan looked around him and couldn't believe this was actually going to happen. He'd been waiting so long for this and now it's finally here. He had to pinch himself a few times to make sure this wasn't a dream. It was still a little dark out but the sun was slowly rising. The darkness of the night was now giving way to the light of the day and Nathan thought that the start of a new day was the perfect backdrop for the beginning of his life with Haley as husband and wife. There was a small gazebo in the garden that they would have the ceremony in and Peyton was able to "find" some flowers and strewn them along the grass to make a makeshift path.
Nathan straightened out his suit.
"How do I look?" He turned to Clay.
"Not as good as me." Clay smirked. Clay was still wearing his suit from last night at the party in Atlanta.
"Yeah but you still smell like bacon."
"Hey!" Clay complained. "Look, where are thing rings?" Clay extended his hand.
"Umm.. all the stores are closed so I'm just using Haley's engagement ring."
"Okay, where is it?"
Nathan looked at him confused.
"Come on Nate, as your best man, I should at least hold the only ring we have."
"About that." Nathan cleared his throat. "Luke has the ring." He mumbled.
"So I should get it from him. Right, I should?" Clay eyed Nathan curiously but he just stayed quiet.
"Shh, we're about to start." Nathan hushed Clay and motioned for him to stand on the stairs and then he smiled to the Chaplain.
Mouth stood off to the side, Peyton's camera in hand and Karen stood in the front next to some of their friends who waited at the hospital.
Peyton was in front of them now and slowly started to walk towards them. Brooke followed suit. Peyton and Brooke stood on the stairs. Then they all looked back to see Lucas rolling Haley in.
Nathan smiled at his beautiful bride and he felt his heart beat faster as she got closer. When she was at the foot of the gazebo, Lucas helped her up and she slowly climbed the stairs. Nathan and Lucas smiled at each other and gave a quick hug before Nathan took a hold of his bride to be. Lucas was proud and honored to be Nathan's best man. He'd wrestle with bringing the whole Renee situation up but it could wait. Right now it was him and Haley's time. Everything else could wait.
"You're in my spot." Lucas hissed as he forced Clay down one more stair so that Lucas stood taller and closer to Nathan.
Clay rolled his eyes and Nathan couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't have the heart to tell Clay that Lucas was his best man.
"I love you." Nathan mouthed to Haley and she repeated the action before turning to the pastor.
"Friends and Family.." The pastor started to speak. "We are gathered on this fine morning to witness the union between Nathan Scott and Haley James." He turned to Nathan.
"Nathan.. is it your intention to seek marriage with this woman?"
"Yes." Nathan answered.
"Haley, is it you intention to seek marriage with man?"
"Yes." Haley smiled back and the two squeezed each other's hands.
"Nathan and Haley have given their intention to enter in the union of marriage, if there is anyone here who objects, let them speak now." The pastor announced and the place stayed quiet.
"Nathan and Haley, you two have been through so much, through ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs. There are many things I can say to the two of you today but instead I choose to listen to the words you have for each other." The pastor smiled and nodded to Haley.
Haley looked into Nathan's deep blue eyes and took a deep breath.
"WAIT!"
Everyone whipped their heads around and found Julian running over to him. He hunched over and was slightly out of breath.
Nathan let go of Haley's hands. "What the hell?" Nathan gritted out and started to walk down the stairs.
"You can't get married!" Julian said breathlessly.
To Be Continued . . . .